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Allah Does Not Speak Arabic

The document discusses different historical meanings and uses of the term "Qur'an". It notes that in early Islamic history, the term was commonly used to refer to God's eternal attribute of speech, not specifically the recitation revealed to Prophet Muhammad. However, two groups - the Mushabbihah and Mu'tazilah - held extreme positions on this issue. The Mushabbihah claimed God's speech was in Arabic letters and sounds, while the Mu'tazilah denied God had any speech. The document explains why early Muslim scholars insisted Muslims not say "the Qur'an is created", to avoid supporting these deviant groups or introducing innovations, despite believing the sounds of the Qur'

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67 views3 pages

Allah Does Not Speak Arabic

The document discusses different historical meanings and uses of the term "Qur'an". It notes that in early Islamic history, the term was commonly used to refer to God's eternal attribute of speech, not specifically the recitation revealed to Prophet Muhammad. However, two groups - the Mushabbihah and Mu'tazilah - held extreme positions on this issue. The Mushabbihah claimed God's speech was in Arabic letters and sounds, while the Mu'tazilah denied God had any speech. The document explains why early Muslim scholars insisted Muslims not say "the Qur'an is created", to avoid supporting these deviant groups or introducing innovations, despite believing the sounds of the Qur'

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ALLAH DOES NOT SPEAK

ARABIC, NOR ANY OTHER


LANGUAGE !!! Part 3: The Other
Meaning of "Qur'an"
YAHYA AL-BALTIMOORI·TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017·READING TIME: 4 MINUTES

Bismillah ir-RaHman ir-RaHeem, wal-Hamdulillaahi rabb il-^aalameen, waS-Salaatu


was-salaamu ^alaa sayyidinaa Muhammad. Ammaa ba^d:

In the time of the Salaf (ie. the first 300 years after the Hijrah), people used to use the
word "Qur'an," and they usually weren’t referring to the revelation that the Angel
Jibreel (ie., Gabriel) revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
They weren’t referring to the recitation that we recite during our prayers.

Nowadays, when people say "Qur'an" they are almost always referring to the
revelation given to our beloved Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam). But back
then, they used to use the word "Qur'an" to refer to God's attribute of Speech. That is,
they used to call the eternal Speech of Allah, which isn't a letter nor sound, Qur'an.

Sadly, the time of the Salaf also experienced two fitnahs pertaining to this issue. Two
astray groups each maintained that speech MUST be by sounds and letters. They
started with the same position, but ended up at opposite extremes of the spectrum. The
Mushabbihah (those who liken Allah to the creation) said that Allah speaks Arabic,
with sounds and letters. And the Mu^tazilah said that Allah doesn't speak at all.

Refuting the Mushabbihah was an easy matter. Even they can understand that Allah is
eternal and His attributes must also be eternal (or else Allah would be temporal and
created). So we merely pointed out that sounds and letters are temporal and that it is
impossible for the Speech of Allah to be temporal. They responded by insisting
(illogically) that sounds are eternal. So they ended up likening Allah to the creation
and rejecting the judgment of the sound mind, that a thing that comes and goes cannot
be eternal.
The Mu^tazilah agreed that sounds are temporal, not eternal. They also agreed that
Allah is clear temporal attributes. So they concluded that Allah is clear of Speech
altogether. They explained verses of Qur'an that describe Allah as speaking by saying
that Allah created speech (ie. letters and sounds) in created things, like when Musa
(alayhissalaam) heard speech coming from a burning tree. They would say that Allah
created speech in the tree. To them, sounds are always temporal and always attributed
to created things, never to Allah. So they ended up denying the Qur'an.

With this context in mind, you will understand why the scholars of the time insisted
that Muslims NOT say that the Qur'an is created. Of course, we Muslims know and
believe that the sounds that were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi
wasallam) are created sounds (like all sounds), but there are three main reasons why
we don't say the sentence "The Qur'an is created":

1. The dominant use of the word "Qur'an" at the time was to refer to the attribute
of Allah. We DO NOT say that Allah has created attributes.

2. The phrase "The Qur'an is created" was coined and popularized by the
Mu^tazilah. They used to pressure people to say it as a means of getting
people to deny that Allah is attributed with Speech. To them, the sentence
meant, "Created speech attributed to the creation is the only speech that Allah
has." We DO NOT agree with their denial of God's attributes, nor do we
support astray groups by using their hallmarks.

3. The sentence itself is a bid^ah, and the scholars of the Salaf were careful not to
say things that hadn't been said by earlier scholars.

This is why big scholars like Imam Ahmad preferred to be tortured than to say "The
Qur'an is created." It isn't because he believed Allah speaks Arabic, and that sounds
are eternal (which is what the Mushabbihah and many Wahhabis say). Rather, it is
because doing so would assist in the spread of kufr (see #1 and #2 above) and because
it's a bid^ah.

But when the word "Qur'an" is used to refer to the revelation that our Prophet received
(Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and which we recite, it is correct to believe that those
words and sounds and letters are created (not eternal). However, it should only be said
in a context like this one, where one is clarifying the belief of the Muslims. In this
case, the need for clear instruction makes it permissible, while it otherwise would not
be.

Abu Hanifah (raHimahullah) said in his book al-Fiqh al-Akbar:

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